Category Archives: Snack

Now that summer is in full bloom, we almost always have a batch of popsicles in our freezer. It’s usually the strawberry raspberries ones, which are still my favorite. But when we’re feeling fancy, we make these key lime pie ones. They’re delicious and pretty easy to prepare. Just four ingredients for a rich yet refreshing dessert! The hardest part is waiting for them to set.

We used regular limes here, not key limes, so I guess they’re technically just “lime pie popsicles,” but I don’t think lime pie is a thing? In any case, I had to make these after I ordered a slice of key lime pie at a restaurant, which reminded me a lot of these popsicles except that the pie was too rich and not as tasty so my craving wasn’t satisfied until I remade these. I think that the crunchy graham cracker crumbs add a lot for me. Speaking of which, you have to cover these with graham crackers just before serving, as I learned the hard way. I was a slow poke with this photoshoot and the popsicles melted too much so I popped them back in the freezer but then they came out with soggy crumbs.

The recipe from which this recipe is adapted calls for 3/4 cup of freshly squeezed lime juice, but our limes are very sour so I only use 2/3 cup. If you’re using limes that are on the sweeter side, use the higher measurement. I got 2/3 cup of lime juice from 6 regular limes that I hand-squeezed, which weighed 0.75 lb (350 g). I always find it hard to tell how juicy limes will be, so I choose softer limes and I get a bunch just in case.

I usually crush the graham crackers with my fingers on the plate on which I serve them. (They’re messy so they need to be served with a plate anyway.) I use half of a graham cracker sheet (2.5″ x 2.25″) per popsicle. I like the bigger chunks so I crush them coarsely and then press each side of the popsicle into the crumbs. I press the smaller crumbs in with my fingers to get the popsicle completely covered and it helps if it melts a tiny bit in the process so I don’t worry about working too quickly if I’m only preparing two popsicles at a time.

It’s been a while but here I am again with a recipe for my newly favorite granola. I haven’t strayed too, too far from my previously posted puffed grain granola recipe. The main puffed grain I use now is kamut, which is a bigger grain than wheat and is still a good size after it shrinks, and my nuts of choice are now pecans. I often add wheat germ for added protein and nutritional value.

I always forget how quick and easy it is to make granola, and I never make it as often as I should, in part because as soon as I make it, the granola monster, otherwise known as my husband, devours it by the handfuls as a snack. When I do have it, it’s my favorite quick breakfast with yogurt and berries. We also take it along on hikes as an alternative to granola bars, which are typically very sweet. I think that it would also make a nice homemade gift.

My regular grocery store doesn’t carry puffed grains, but I’ve found them at health food stores or grocery stores which have a larger selection of health food — whatever that means — like Whole Foods and Sprouts. If you live in the US, you can use the Arrowhead Mills locator to find stores that carry them. Arrowhead Mills isn’t the only brand that carries puffed grains, but it’s the only one I’ve found in West Los Angeles.

An obsession with store-bought strawberry popsicles turned into an obsession with homemade strawberry popsicles a couple of years ago. We’ve made lots of other types since then but strawberry popsicles, or a variation of them, continue to be our favorite. I loved finding small pieces of fruit in store-bought ones, a fairly rare occurrence, so I’ve always made my fruit popsicles chunky.

If you don’t have a popsicle mold, you can make popsicles in shot glasses or small paper cups. See tips below for directions.

I adapted my previously posted granola recipe with some of the ingredients from Kashi’s GoLean Crunch cereal, the honey almond flax version. It’s not as crispy or salty or sweet on purpose but it is just as addictive.

If you’ve never made your own granola, you should try it. I bet you’ll never buy granola again. It’s fairly easy to make. I mix all of the ingredients together while the oven is preheating, wash the dishes during the first part of baking, and then relax for the second part. Or write a blog entry. Whichever.

I don’t think that granola needs salt at all but I am very averse to sweet and salty things. I make this recipe or a variation of it regularly, I’ve never added a lick of salt, and I still think that it is way, way better than any granola I’ve bought. But I’m generally been pretty underwhelmed with store-bough granola. The non-crunchy kind gets very soggy, even in yogurt, while the crunchy kind is too crunchy. This has the perfect amount of crunchiness. It won’t get soggy in your yogurt but it also won’t cut up your gums. If you don’t like it crunchy or if you want to make it vegan, skip the egg whites and choose the olive oil over the butter.